Nazi Germany - 1933-45 Flashcards
(27 cards)
Q: What were the Nazi aims for women?
A: To encourage traditional roles — Kinder, Küche, Kirche (Children, Kitchen, Church); increase birth rates; reduce female employment.
Q: What methods did the Nazis use to control women’s lives?
A: Banned women from certain jobs, introduced the Law for the Encouragement of Marriage (1933), awarded the Mother’s Cross, promoted home economics in girls’ education.
Q: How did Nazi policies towards women change over time?
A: Initially focused on traditional roles, but by 1937 labour shortages led to women being encouraged back into work.
Q: How did Nazi policies towards minorities change over time?
A: Grew more extreme: started with discrimination (Nuremberg Laws 1935), moved to violence (Kristallnacht 1938), then genocide (Final Solution 1941).
Q: Name one key statistic that shows the impact of Nazi policy on minorities.
A: Approximately 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.
Q: What were the Nazi aims for youth and education?
A: Indoctrinate loyalty to Hitler and Nazism, promote physical fitness, militarism, and obedience.
Q: How effective were youth groups in indoctrinating young people?
A: Largely effective due to widespread membership (e.g. Hitler Youth made compulsory in 1936), though some youth opposition still existed (e.g. Edelweiss Pirates).
Q: How did Nazi policies impact German culture?
A: Promoted Aryan ideals, censored modernist art and literature, supported propaganda through film and radio.
Q: How was Nazi culture different from Weimar culture?
A: Nazi culture rejected Weimar’s liberal, modernist values; instead focused on tradition, nationalism, and racial ideology.
What was the Enabling Act of 1933?
A law that gave Hitler the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag, effectively establishing a legal dictatorship.
What were the Nuremberg Laws of 1935?
Laws that institutionalized racial discrimination against Jews, stripping them of German citizenship and banning marriage between Jews and non-Jews.
What was the Night of the Long Knives (1934)?
A purge in which Hitler eliminated the SA leadership and other political rivals to secure the support of the army.
How did Hitler use propaganda?
Through Joseph Goebbels’ Ministry of Propaganda, using films, radio, newspapers, and rallies to spread Nazi ideology and glorify Hitler.
What was the Hitler Youth?
A Nazi youth organization aiming to indoctrinate children with Nazi ideology and prepare boys for military service.
What were the key features of the Nazi police state?
Use of the Gestapo, SS, and concentration camps to suppress opposition and enforce conformity.
What was the economic policy of autarky?
Aiming for national economic self-sufficiency to prepare for war, including rearmament and reduced reliance on imports.
What was the Four-Year Plan (1936)?
An economic plan introduced by Göring to prepare Germany for war within four years through rearmament and autarky.
How did Hitler tackle unemployment?
Through public works (e.g., autobahns), rearmament, and conscription, reducing unemployment from 6 million in 1933 to under 1 million by 1939.
What was Kristallnacht (1938)?
A state-sponsored pogrom against Jews in which synagogues were burned, businesses destroyed, and around 30,000 Jews arrested.
What was the Enabling Act of 1933?
It gave Hitler the power to enact laws without the involvement of the Reichstag, effectively establishing a legal dictatorship.
What was the Night of the Long Knives (1934)?
A purge where Hitler eliminated potential rivals within the SA and consolidated power with the SS and army.
What was the Reich Labour Service (RAD)?
A program introduced in 1935 that required young men to undertake 6 months of labor service, often used in public works.
What role did propaganda play in Nazi Germany?
It was central to maintaining control, spreading ideology, and glorifying Hitler through films, newspapers, and rallies.
How did the Nazis control education?
Curricula were tailored to Nazi ideology, with emphasis on racial theory, nationalism, and physical fitness.
